Victoria Toensing, writing in the Wall Street Journal, calls for an invesigation of the CIA to determine what really happened in the case of Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame.

Among the many questions she raises is why the CIA did not warn Bob Novak off the story when he called to verify the information he had been given regarding Joseph Wilson's wife. As Novak himself noted, he would have edited out any mention of Plame if the CIA had indicated that there was anything "covert" about her.

The entire Plame affair appears increasingly likely to have been an attempt by a faction within the CIA to "sting" the Bush administration. Since Patrick Fitzgerald has displayed zero interest in getting to the bottom of what Wilson and his wife were up to, a Congressional investigation is both appropriate and long overdue.

This Republican Congress has displayed a near total aversion to investigating crimes on the part of the political opposition. Perhaps the lesson they took from the Clinton impeachment trial is that such investigations will always be spun to their disadvantage. Whatever the explanation, the list of matters crying out for Congressional hearings is extensive and grows longer all the time. The forged memos pertaining to Bush's TANG service are an example, and the widespread vote fraud in the 2004 elections are another.

John Hinderaker and Bill Kristol wonder why the Bush administration does not fight back against the lies. It's an appropriate question, but one which might be asked with equal force of the Republican majorities in the House and Senate, which appear to be more concerned with trying to appease the Democrats in Congress and the media than in defending themselves and advancing their own agenda.

A single blog has little influence. But if all the blogs on the right extert pressure, and sustain it, they can sometimes get results. It is time for us to start putting pressure on the Republican party, both in Congress and in the White House, to thoroughly investigate what has happened and is happening within the CIA. This intelligence agency continues to leak classified information to the detriment of the war effort, even several months after Porter Goss took over the reins. If the executive branch is unable to control the departments under its jurisdiction then Congress has both the right and the obligation to provide oversight.

Replacing the head of the CIA is futile,whole layers of management need to go,perhaps generous early retirement would defang any backlash,well worth the money.Then you can downsize it,break it up and hive off any usful components.

Historically any otganisation which becomes powerful,whether it be the CIA,The Church,Big Business,Civil Service,Landed Aristocracy,Trade Unions,are going to have their own comfort zone and agenda.The CIA however also seems incompetant,it missed the most seminal events of the 20th century ,the Iranian Revolution,the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Islamism.they couldn't even bring down Castro.

"The CIA however also seems incompetant,it missed the most seminal events of the 20th century ,the Iranian Revolution,the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Islamism.they couldn't even bring down Castro."

“John Hinderaker and Bill Kristol wonder why the Bush administration does not fight back against the lies.”

George W. Bush was brought up to be overly generous and polite with his political opponents. He thinks it rude to get into a yelling match with them. It is supposedly part of his responsibility to endure such criticisms---if they come from Democrats. Only Republicans need worry about getting on his bad side.

I'm not calling for Bush to investigate the CIA, although in truth I think he has a responsibility to do so, regardless of whatever nasty things the Democrats will say. (They seem to be saying all those nasty things in any case.)

I'm saying that Congress needs to take some time from its busy schedule of funding bridges to nowhere and preening for the cameras to provide proper oversight of the various government agencies which it funds. If the CIA is expendng greater effort in engaging in domestic American politics than it is in the WOT, then major reforms, even replacement, may be neccessary.

Syl,I won't even mention the Cuban missile crisis,the Bay of Pigs and the poisoned cigars.I confess,it is a big disappointment to me,all those black op tough guys subverting the world,turn out to be the equivalent of a rejsct dog catcher.You really must do something about it...even if it is only having somebody assasssinated...which is another thing....there are too many bad guys out there walking around,what on earth does the CIA do?